Benedict Cumberbatch Cringe-Laughs Through Redditor’s Review of His “Cumbermusk”

Over the weekend, Benedict Cumberbatch appeared on The Graham Norton Show—but instead of asking the typical talk-show questions about the actor’s upcoming projects, Norton surprised his guest by reading a creepily detailed account of how an ardent fan “really tried” to smell his “Cumbermusk.”

The superfan in question is Reddit user VitalCapacity, who gushed about meeting the actor to Reddit’s Cumberbitches community (yes, that is the actual name) a year and a half ago. VitalCapacity ran into the actor by chance on a Boston sidewalk, when he emerged from a minivan—in all his glory—to walk to the set of his latest film.

The short interaction made a life-changing impression on VitalCapacity, who swooned over his voice (“Low, soft, quiet. I nearly pee-ed”), his brawn (“There is not an ounce of fat on that man, it’s all muscle, sinew and wholesome goodness”), his other positive features (“Dat ass!”), and—of course—his scent (“Just the lightest Cumbermusk in the Boston sunshine”).

As Norton reads highlights from the original Reddit post, Cumberbatch tries to maintain his composure, but by the end, he gets in on the joke, laughing and wafting his “Cumbermusk” towards Johnny Depp, who’s sitting on the couch next to him.

The best part is that Norton’s surprise reading may’ve helped reveal the identity of the mystery fan behind the original post.

“I can finally admit,” Johnny Depp confesses at the end of the video, “that I wrote that.”

And to all the Cumberbitches out there hoping to get a glimpse—or a whiff—of their hero one day, just remember the words of VitalCapacity’s now immortalized post: